Preview: Reims vs. Nice - prediction, team news, lineups

An out-of-form Reims broadside volition erstwhile again spell successful hunt of their archetypal triumph of 2025 erstwhile they invited European hopefuls Nice to the Stade Auguste-Delaune successful Ligue 1 connected Saturday.

The hosts beryllium 11th successful the table but are winless successful 5 top-flight outings, scoring lone 2 goals successful that time, whereas sixth-placed Nice travel into the lucifer disconnected the backmost of triumph implicit Rennes successful their 2025 curtain-raiser past clip out.

Match preview

© Imago

Reims ended 2024 with a 3-1 triumph implicit seventh-tier outfit ASS Still Mutzig successful the Coupe de France circular of 64 to beforehand to the adjacent stage; however, they could not physique connected that effect to assertion a triumph successful their archetypal league outing of 2025.

The Reds and Whites suffered a 3-1 decision astatine the hands of struggling Saint-Etienne astatine the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard connected January 4.

Luka Elsner's squad took the pb done Keito Nakamura successful the 42nd minute, but Ghanaian guardant Augustine Boakye brought Saint-Etienne level successful the 50th minute.

Boakye past handed the hosts the pb successful the 57th minute, earlier Lucas Stassin's 80th-minute effort made definite of each 3 points for the Greens.

The nonaccomplishment means that Elsner's charges person gone winless successful their past 5 league matches, playing retired 3 draws and suffering 2 losses successful the apical division.

Worse still, they are not getting the hitch of the greenish connected their turf; their 2 wins, 3 draws and 3 losses from 8 location fixtures — the joint-fourth worst location grounds this word — are symptomatic of their struggles successful beforehand of their fans.

With a location fixture adjacent connected the cards for the Reds and Whites, it remains to beryllium seen if they volition extremity their hoodoo of a four-game winless tally astatine home.

Success for the 11th-placed hosts volition warrant their archetypal triumph implicit the visitors since August 2018 and their archetypal location league triumph since a 4-2 triumph implicit Montpellier successful October 2024, perchance putting much region betwixt them and the relegation portion — they are 5 points supra Nantes successful the relegation playoff spot and 8 up of second-bottom Le Havre.

© Imago

Meanwhile, Nice person been awesome this season, arsenic evidenced by occupying sixth spot successful the standings with 27 points, putting the Eaglets connected people to unafraid European shot for a 2nd consecutive season.

Following their advancement to the Coupe de France circular of 32, Nice continued their good signifier successful the apical division, claiming a 3-2 triumph implicit Rennes successful their archetypal league outing of 2025 to widen their unbeaten tally to 3 matches successful Ligue 1.

Les Aiglons participate this fixture with confidence, having mislaid conscionable erstwhile successful their past 12 league matches — a 4-1 nonaccomplishment successful Lyon astatine the commencement of December.

The distant side's beardown grounds against Reims, which includes an 11-match unbeaten streak, further reinforces their content successful extending their dominance implicit their opponents.

Central to their occurrence this word is their goalscoring prowess, with the Eaglets boasting the third-best onslaught successful the league, with a haul of 31 goals.

Franck Haise's men person scored successful their past 10 league outings, with nary less than 2 goals recorded successful six of their erstwhile 8 engagements successful the apical division.

A Nice triumph astatine the Stade Auguste-Delaune connected Saturday could spot their points haul summation to 33 and perchance decorativeness gameweek 17 successful 3rd place, provided different results spell their mode this weekend.

Reims Ligue 1 form:

Reims signifier (all competitions):

Nice Ligue 1 form:

Nice signifier (all competitions):

Team News

© Imago

Reims are acceptable to beryllium without Reda Khadra, who has been connected the sidelines owed to a cruciate ligament injury, portion Abdoul Kone and Mohamed Daramy are suffering from hamstring and genu injuries respectively.

However, the location side's apical scorer, Nakamura, on with Oumar Diakite and Junya Ito, the second of whom has 7 extremity involvements, should marque up the attacking trio.

For the visitors, Haise faces a enactment headache arsenic helium heads into this fixture with a depleted squad owed to a operation of suspensions and injuries.

Terem Moffi, Morgan Sanson, Ali Abdi and Jeremie Boga are not disposable for enactment owed to assorted injuries, portion Pablo Rosario is suspended for this fixture pursuing his dismissal against Rennes.

Nonetheless, Badredine Bouanani, Sofiane Diop and apical scorer Evann Guessand, who has 7 goals truthful far, are expected to enactment Gaetan Laborde successful attack.

Reims imaginable starting lineup:
Diouf; Kipre, Buta, De Smet, Akieme, Atangana Edoa, Munetsi, Kone; Ito, Diakite, Nakamura

We say: Reims 1-2 Nice

Nice are enjoying a bully tally of signifier this season, with lone 1 nonaccomplishment successful their past 12 league games.

Given the dismal signifier of the hosts and their inability to flooded the visitors successful their past 11 meetings, the Eaglets are primed for a marginal 2-1 win.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer please click here.

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